Mapping Urban Readiness of Cycling Infrastructure with Open Data: A Spatial Framework
Author
Term
4. semester
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-02-02
Pages
79
Abstract
This thesis develops and applies a spatial diagnostic framework to assess the structural readiness of urban cycling infrastructure to support different cycling vehicle profiles, with a particular focus on the physical feasibility of cargo-bike use. Rather than modelling cycling demand, route choice, or logistics performance, the framework evaluates whether existing cycling infrastructure provides the minimum physical and geometric conditions required for different types of bicycles to operate reliably. In this context, cargo bikes are treated as a stricter feasibility case, reflecting their higher requirements in terms of width, surface quality, continuity, and terrain. Building on established GIS-based bikeability methodologies, the proposed Cycling Readiness framework evaluates standard bicycles and cargo bikes in parallel on a shared cycling infrastructure network using a common set of infrastructure and terrain indicators derived from open data sources. Profile differentiation is implemented exclusively through stricter feasibility thresholds applied to the cargo-bike profile, while indicators, weights, spatial units, and aggregation logic remain identical across profiles. Differences between commuter and cargo-bike readiness are therefore interpreted as indicators of structural robustness and fragility within existing cycling networks, rather than as differences in user preference or behavioural tolerance. The methodology relies exclusively on open and transferable datasets and applies conservative, median-based spatial aggregation to a regular 50 m hexagonal grid to support city-scale interpretation while avoiding inflation effects associated with dense but fragmented infrastructure. Multiple European cities are analysed as comparative case studies to examine how cycling infrastructure readiness patterns change under stricter feasibility requirements, independent of routing assumptions or demand modelling. Results are presented as spatial readiness maps and cross-city comparative patterns, highlighting locations where cycling networks that appear adequate for standard commuter use become structurally constrained under cargo-bike requirements. The framework is intended as an early-stage planning and benchmarking tool to support diagnostic assessment and strategic prioritisation of cycling infrastructure, rather than as a predictive model of cycling uptake or urban freight activity.
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